


Maybe if we had met before

by laconic_euphony



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: ACL, Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotionally Repressed, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff, Gamer Kozume Kenma, Hurt/Comfort, I ship to many characters to just focus on one, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, M/M, Volleyball, the guys ™
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29362785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laconic_euphony/pseuds/laconic_euphony
Summary: Kenma was never good with people, and when Kuroo called his friends over, he'd usually just stay in his room.At least that was before he met a little sunshine boy, who taught him that, sometimes it only takes someone looking a bit closer, caring a bit more, to relight a long burned out flame.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Haikyuu!! Ensemble/Haikyuu!! Ensemble, Hinata Shouyou & Everyone, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Too many relationships for me to name each one, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyyy  
> So this is actually my first fanfic (or at least the first I publish), so please go easy on me. And I'm so sorry about the short chapters, I just had no idea how long I should make them lol.  
> Anyways I hope you guys enjoy it.  
> (And as a multi shipper lemme tell ya, it was hard to have to lock characters into only one ship, but it was worth it)

* * *

** Chapter 1 - Prologue **

It's hard to breathe. Every intake burns in my lungs, yet it's nowhere near to the fiery sensation burning up my leg, consuming all my senses. I think it's coming from my knee. I try to shift positions to see if the pain will calm down, but arms hold down my body. What happened?

My eyes are bolted shut, it's hard to open them, but I have to see what's going on. I can hear people talking, and the sound of cars, yet I can't make out much more than "He's awake". Pushing my body to shift again, I feel my restraints hold me down with more force. I have to open my eyes. I have to see what's going on.

With all the willpower I manage to gather, I slowly open my eyes. Bad idea. The room is spinning, my head is ringing, but worst of all, I can see my leg from here, my knee is completely swollen. Panic starts to take over me as I realize where I am. An ambulance. What happened? I close my eyes again, and within my mind, I push past my pain and try to recall something, anything at all.

Pushing myself to recall, all that comes to mind is a ball. A volleyball.

A volleyball?

I was playing volleyball.

And then…

Pain consumes my brain, overshadowing my thoughts and taking over me. I hear a scream, I think it's coming from me. I try to open my eyes again, but they feel as if made by lead. And slowly I feel myself drifting away, darkness consuming all that I am.

I fall into it.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

** Chapter 2 **

Kenma had just woken up and was already tired.

He had stayed up until 7 a.m. playing games. There was a new update on Rainbow Six that he wanted to try out. He was not impressed. But his sleep routine was never good so it wouldn't kill to play a couple of rounds. Slowly shifting away from his comfy bed, he reached over to his phone, it was already 12:30. To early. 

After twenty minutes of debating if he should go out of the room or just go back to sleep, he decided on the former. But as Kenma stepped out of his space he immediately regretted his decision.

"Look who finally decided to wake up! So, was it any good?"

There, standing right at the point where the bedroom's corridor and the living room meet was Kuroo, his roommate, why he ever agreed to share a flat with him was beyond Kenma's understanding. And completely ignoring him, he headed straight into the kitchen.

"Was it that bad? Your face looks like shit."

A sigh escaped the boy as he answered "It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. They basically just changed the map a bit and added two characters.", with still sleepy movements he started to prepare a coffee for himself. From behind him, he could feel Kuroo come into the kitchen and sit down at the table stretching his legs, a bit too tall for the short chairs.

"I see you're not eating something, again." He taunted.

"I see you still haven't managed to get rid of that black mess on top of your head."

"It doesn't matter how much I try, I have no idea how to get rid of my bedhead. But at least I don't look like a pudding."

Kenma looked at his friend, yeah he's definitely too big for that chair. With still sleepy movements, he took his coffee in his hands and sat down on the opposite side. Kuroo immediately stood up, opened the fridge took out a piece of apple pie, and placed it on the table, Kenma's favorite, his friend was always finding ways to make him eat. And as soon as he moved to take the first bite, a satisfied smirk filled his roommate's face.

"The guys are coming over tonight."

"Okay, just don't let them disturb me."

"Oh c'mon Kenma, you could at least say hi, who knows you might make a new friend, other than me."

"No."

Kuroo was always trying to push him to meet people, although he never forced him, it still annoyed Kenma. He always had to remind his friend that he's not good with people, and therefore doesn't want to interact with them. It's too easy to get concerned about what others think of him, so the best thing to do is just stay with himself as company.

"Look I won't push you, but I think you might actually like these guys. They're my school friends, we all used to play volleyball together. Well, we were on separate teams, but that's not the point, I think you'd like them."

"Do I have to?"

"No, but I'll buy you that new headset that you've been wanting."

"Okay, I'll say hi. When are they coming over?"

"I was thinking of six.”

"Fine by me."

Taking his now empty cup of coffee to the sink, Kenma proceeded to his room. Not that he had anything to do there, but he also had nothing else to do in the kitchen. After this small interaction, he was not looking forward to tonight's challenge, but Kuroo seemed happy, and just a quick hi wouldn't hurt. He'd probably just stay in his little corner for a couple of minutes and disappear to his room when no one's watching. Just like he always did when Kuroo pushed him to meet people.

The room door, as always, made a weird squeaking sound when he opened it, he didn't mind, it was a good way to know if anyone was coming. And although his roommate had said he'd buy him a new headphone set, Kenma knew that it would never arrive, Kuroo always said stuff like that when he wanted something, and he never got anything at the end. But then again, he didn't mind. He actually found it very entertaining to see what his friend would come up with next.

Grabbing his favorite headset off of his headset decorated bedside wall, which he really had to reorganize, he headed straight to his desk, which he also had to reorganize, but he just wasn't in the mood for it. Turning on his computer, Kenma went into his steam library. And after some time of just looking and relooking his options, he opened a recent favorite of his, One Hour One Life. It didn't take long for Kuroo to come knocking at the door, he always joined in at some point, no matter what game he was playing.

"New game?"

"No, but I think you haven't tried this one yet."

"Is it cool?" 

With cautious steps as if to not alert Kenma, or maybe to not step on the clothes thrown at the floor, his roommate sat in the spare chair beside him, taking over one of his computers. Kenma had bought a double screen set specifically because of this, he found it was better to just lend his second screen to Kuroo sometimes, rather than having to alternate with him on one screen. 

"Sooooo how does the game work?"

"It's a multiplayer game. You basically start off as a baby in an unoccupied world, you have one hour of life if you don't die first, and the objective is to try and survive and create stuff to build up society. The progress you've had isn't necessarily saved but will be kept for other players. You can be born into an already kind of advanced society or just in the middle of nothing. Oh and when you're first born you can't do anything without the help of an adult."

"Then if my parents don't take care of me, I might as well die without having done anything?"

"Yes." 

Watching Kuroo struggle with the game, he came to a conclusion. And he hated to admit it, but Kenma actually liked having someone to play with, even if sometimes it was annoying to have to explain the whole game, it was still fun to watch someone trying for the first time. But he most liked it when they played against each other, mainly if Kuroo played well. Because when Kenma wins, which is usual, he feels like he has just defeated an important opponent or a boss.

"Yes! I have finally survived enough to not be a baby anymore! Take that mom." 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the small chapters, but honestly it's easier to organize the story like this.
> 
> Dude I feel like I'm talking to myself.
> 
> Well me and Rafa (Oi Rafa!)  
> Idk I just don't think anyone will read this lol


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Kenma officially doesn't understand people.

How is that, even though they all agreed to meet up at six, it's only five o'clock and they are all already here. And they are so loud! He never thought he'd meet people that were louder than Kuroo, but here he is. Or better, here they are. Turning up the volume in his headphones, Kenma started to dread the moment his roommate might come in to drag him out of his little, quiet, lovely space.

And when he thought things couldn't get worse, his body started to make weird sounds, or more specifically his stomach, probably reminding him that he had nothing to eat but half an apple pie. And as much as Kenma hatted to admit it, he might have to leave the room to get some food. But at least he would be able to eat the other half of his pie, but he might run into someone, but he would have to socialize at some point, but maybe Kuroo forgot.

With a sharp intake of breath, he noticed he was getting nowhere. 

Taking off his headset and putting on a random pair of sandals, Kenma moved to leave his room. By some luck, the door to the living room was closed, and his hope got up, he might actually make it in and out of the kitchen without bumping into anyone. That's when he noticed that the light was turned on, there was someone in the kitchen, great, but at least things can't get worse than this.

That's when he arrived at the kitchen, and Kenma saw just how wrong he was. For standing right in front of him was a short, ginger guy, who looked just like an orange, or maybe a carrot. And to make things worse, he held in his hands a nearly empty plate of eaten apple pie. Kenna's half-eaten apple pie.

"Who are you, and why are you eating my apple pie?"

"Ah! I'm Kuroo's friend, Hinata. You must be Kenma, nice to meet you." A big smile opened up in the stranger's face, genuine enough to shock Kenma. If this Hinata guy weren't stealing his favorite food, he might have been someone interesting to meet. 

"I've been saving that pie for a long time, asshole." It's actually the same piece he didn't finish in the morning, but the boy didn't know that. And seeing how his shoulders immediately plummeted and his smile wavered, Kenma knew he took a hit. Inside his head, he retreated, what's wrong with him? He doesn't usually act like this, especially with strangers. How is this thin small guy provoking such a reaction from him?

"Really? Oh, I'm sorry dude, you uh, want the rest?" Hinata offers the plate, there is only a small piece left. And before Kenma can decline this breadcrumb of an offer, Kuroo comes barging in with a sly smile on his face.

"Hey Kenma! I've been looking for you! The guys ar-..." He stops as if finally noticing the other boy in the kitchen. And with a quick look between them, sensed something was off. "Oh. I, uh, see you've met."

"Yeah, and I think I've had enough for the night."

Waiting for no one's response, Kenma walked out of the kitchen and back to his room, he hated being the center of attention, and couldn't stay there any longer. Mainly if stuck with that strange boy. As he walked off, he could hear them behind him. Hinata was trying to explain what happened and apologize, but Kuroo, knowing Kenma's moods quickly brushed it off as if it was no big deal.

"Wait, Kenma."

"What?"

"You promised you'd meet the guys."

"And I did, now I'm going to my room."

"You've only met one, and Hinata says he's sorry for eating your pie." Kenma stops walking and looks back with a sigh.

"You're not going to let me go, right?"

"No. Now come on."

"Okay, but please don't call attention to me, you know I don't like it."

And just like that, Kuroo's face twisted into a grin. Kenma knew it meant nothing, and that his roommate wouldn't make him uncomfortable for no reason, but it still sent chills down his bones, while he headed to the living room. 

It took only one second for Kenma to analyze the room of people, and he got to four simple conclusions. First, he desired a genie, so we could wish for a volume button to control humans, his headache was already firing up. Second, he had never seen so many grown men act like children, apart from Kuroo. Third, coming here was definitely a mistake. And last, but not least, if you don't want to be the center of attention, don't go into a full room of your roommate's old friends when everyone is already chatting and laughing, and the host only left to get you.

"Kuroo's back!" A tall guy, with long legs and arms, is the first one to notice them, but with his shouting, the attention of the whole room quickly shifted to where they were at the door. Great. Kenma shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware of every single movement of his body, and every single pair of eyes, seemingly staring at him.

"Hey! Kuroo! Is that your roommate? What was his name again?" The first thing he could think of after seeing the gold-eye muscular one now shouting was this guy kind of looks like an owl. The person sat right by him, with messy black hair and gunmetal blue eyes was quick to answer. 

"It 's Kozume Kenma. Kuroo told us just this morning Bokuto."

"Kozume Kenma, interesting name. It means polishing blow crawl, right?" Glared a tall black-haired boy at the back. He had a kind of aura that made Kenma step back, completely contrasting with the gray-haired guy who was waving and smiling beside him.

"Kageyama you idiot, it means polishing lone claw. Although with your intelligence I'm surprised you even got one thing right." Snickered the blond glasses wearing one from the farther chairs, and without missing a beat the green-haired scrawny one, sitting by him, covered his mouth to hide a laugh.

"He's shorter than I thought." Remarked the blonde one with a smirk on his face. Kenma couldn't help but notice how he looked exactly like a live version of Berry Benson, the bee from the Bee Movie.

"Guys quiet down, you're going to scare him like this." Said the short one closest to him, and he nearly thanked him out loud. They did in fact stop, but that did not put Kenma at ease, on the contrary, he felt like they were waiting for him to do or say something. He was going to kill Kuroo for making him do this. But with a start, he noticed he was looking for the small orange-haired one, he was nowhere inside the room, but why was Kenma looking for him? Noticing his discomfort, Kuroo draped an arm around the boy's shoulder and took the attention of the room upon himself. 

"Well Kenma, let me introduce to you The Guys." Kuroo said with a grin, pushing him over to a bean bag in the corner of the room. As he sat, he heard a loud sigh coming from the one with glasses.

"Why are you making us sound like we're a pop group?" The guy mumbled.

"That, Kenma, is Kei Tsukishima. And right by him is Tadashi Yamaguchi." Kuroo then pointed at where the owl looking one and the black-haired one were, and proceeded. "That over there is Kōtarō Bokuto and Keiji Akaashi." Moving again his hand to locate the tall one, and the short one, he continued the introduction. "Those are Morisuke Yaku and Lev Haiba. Lev's half Russian, that's why he has those weirdly long arms." And before Lev could complain, Kuroo moved his finger to point at the guy with a scowl, and the one with a smile "That's Tobio Kageyama and Kōshi Sugawara. And that other dude, with the undercut, is Atsumu Miya." Kuroo finished waving at the air and sitting down on one of the free chairs.

As if waiting for the introduction to be over, the room burst into sound. One talking louder than the other, grabbing drinks and snacks from the middle table and laughing. It was easy to say who were the most energetic ones. And although it was awkward to sit in a room of old friends being the odd one out, Kenma was quite relieved for not being at the center of the conversation. That is until Lev called on him.

"Hey Kenma, you haven't said a word, are you shy or something?" Although his words would have sounded like a taunt in someone else's mouth, the guy talked in complete sincerity, and for some reason, that annoyed Kenma. But before he was able to respond, another voice interceded.

"Lev let him be, if he doesn't want to talk, don't push him." He was nearly certain that the guy's name was Akaashi, he seemed to be one of the few that were actually not exploding in sound and movement. A complete contrast to Bokuto, who seemed as if the only reason he didn't jump on top of the table full of food was because the former held him back, he seemed to be the only one able to do so.

"I'm just trying to get to know him, Akaashi." Lev answered with a silly smile, waving his hands dramatically in the air. Yeah, Kenma definitely didn't like him." So..." He went on, staring straight into the boy's cat-like golden eyes. "What do you like to do Kenma?? Have any hobbies??"

"I like video games." He answered as dryly as possible, maybe that would make the half-Russian giant stop bothering him. But seeing as those slanted green eyes of him lit up, Kenma knew he wouldn't rid himself of this inconvenience that easily.

"My sister likes video games too! I always see her in this game where you match top brand clothes and backgrounds and stuff! She's a model you know, so I always see her playing games about modeling." He had never heard of a game like that, his guess was Lev's sister was just using a program to do with her job, to prepare herself for her shootings or something. This guy had no real clue about gaming and acted just like a child. Kenma could feel his energy running low, he had to find a way to get out of here.

"I have to go..." He had to give a good excuse, but only one thing came to mind." to the bathroom." Real creative. If this was a level on a video game, he would definitely have lost the challenge, and probably would have to go back to his last checkpoint.

Still, Kenma got up as silently as he could, as to not call anyone else's attention, and made his way to the corridor. When he was finally out of the room a sigh escaped his mouth, this was tiring but at least Kuroo couldn't say he didn't try. As he walked back to his room, he heard someone snicker.

"Good job Lev, you scared him away."

"Shut up, Tsukki."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say.  
> But I have made end-of-chapter notes until now so I feel like I should put something here.
> 
> *sighs* 
> 
> Did you know that the moon actually has moonquakes
> 
> *Breakdances out of the room*


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**Chapter 4**

It had already been three hours since Kenma retreated to his room to play video games, and to his relief, no one came to bother him. His headache was persisting, and even though he was wearing noise-canceling headphones, he could still hear the conversation coming from the other room. He should have asked Kuroo what time they were planning to leave.

Turning up the game's volume, his mind wandered back to the puzzle in front of him. He had found out about this game, The Room, a couple of months ago, through one of his followers on youtube. Usually, he would do a test run of the first level of the game to decide if he should do a video about it. But he was already halfway through level two and considering all the noise coming from the other room, he was in no condition to film.

But considering he's been stuck for thirty minutes counting, it would have been a deplorable video, not to mention a blow to his pride as a gamer. Maybe if he stopped for a bit, it would help his brain reload, or maybe if there wasn't so much noise distracting him from the other side of the flat. Kenma made a mental note to never let Kuroo invite his friends to this house again.

Laying back on his chair, he noticed how messy his room was. It had been three weeks since he promised himself he would clear stuff up, but never found the time or energy to do so. On the other hand, all of his gaming and filming equipment was perfectly in place, so he was in no hurry. 

While looking around, Kenma saw his bedroom door was slightly open. Weird, he always closes it when he is in his room. With a closer look, he saw a shadow blocking the light from underneath the door. Someone was there. Kenma felt tempted to tell Kuroo to just come in if he's going to just stand there like that, but then he remembered he's not home alone, and that might not be his roommate.

"Hey Kenma, it's Hinata, I ate your pie earlier. Is it okay if I come in?"

Oh, It's him again, the pie thief. "No." A simple answer. He was already drained from the interactions earlier and wanted to go back to his game. The shadow below the door shifted, but it didn't go away, what was the boy doing?

"Oh, okay. Well, I have something for you, so I'm just going to leave it here." Something for him? Now that was curious, Kenma had just met this guy, what could he have for him? Against his every instinct, he opened the door. Standing right there, with a slightly scared expression on his face, was Hinata, holding nothing more, nothing less than a box with a piece of apple pie inside. 

"It's for earlier, I felt bad so I went to the supermarket to buy you a new one." The boy said, offering the box to a surprised Kenma. For a second he was so stunned by this weird boy, that he didn't notice that Hinata had gone into the room. "Wow, this looks like a cool game! What's the name?"

"The Room." Kenma said, putting the pie down at one of the cleared surfaces and sitting back at his chair. As much as he was surprised by the food, he'd still like the boy to leave his room. "Thanks." He tried to thank the boy, who seemed confused. "For the pie." Hinata shook his head as if finally understanding what Kenma was talking about. And before he could stop him, the boy sat at the spare chair by his side.

"I think I've heard about it before. You have to solve puzzles on boxes, for them to open right?" This boy appeared to know something about gaming, it wasn't a very well known game for people who didn't play. So either he likes video games, or just stumbled upon this one by accident. This Hinata, even being a pie thief, might just become someone Kenma would like to get to know.

"Yes. You play games?"

"Not very much, I don't have the money for it. But every chance I get, I try to play something that calls my attention. And when I can't I usually just go on Youtube and see other people playing. But it's not as exciting. Do you mind if I watch you play?"

"No, but there isn't much to see, I'm stuck."

"Really?" With quick fingers, and without any warning, Hinata took over the computer. Kenma noted that his face had the biggest smile, and his brown eyes seemed to glow as the boy tried to solve the most recent puzzle. It was somewhat amusing to watch, he seemed like a child with a new toy. "Hey! Found it!"

"Found what?"

"You see here," Hinata said while pointing at the computer screen, it was one of the little boxes that build up the big one. Kenma had, admittedly, overlooked it while he was trying to solve the bigger puzzle. "If you put those numbers on the bigger box, it might just solve it!"

And he was right, putting the right numbers, in the right order actually got them to the next step of the puzzle. Hinata cheered from his seat, throwing his hands in the air, as if punching something, and before he could stop himself, Kenma felt his own face opening up in a small smile.

As the night continued, they also progressed in the game. It was fun to have some help, but he quickly noticed that the orange boy, for all his enthusiasm, wasn't very smart. Yet Kenma found himself not minding, Hinata was actually fun to be around. The latter somehow made him forget about his usual concerns when around other people. But it only took the sound of his creaking door, for all those concerns come crashing into him.

"The guys are leaving, do yo-. Oh, hey Hinata! I was wondering where you'd gone."

"We were just playing this game. But wait, you said the guys were leaving?! Shit, Kageyama is my ride home." He quickly jumped off his chair and ran for the door. "Bye guys! It was nice meeting you Kenma!"

Still standing at the door, Kuroo opened up a satisfied grin, as if to say, I told you, you might meet someone fun. And with a sigh, Kenma shoved past his roommate to go get himself a cup of water.

"I just didn't know how to tell him to leave."

"Whatever you say Kenma."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is going to be the last chapter I post today.
> 
> I will be trying to release chapters every two or three weeks, but school can take quite a chunk of my agenda so please forgive me if I forget or can't post at a certain time. \  
> Oh and I almost forgot. 
> 
> Thanks Rafa, for being the only person that supports my constant annoyance and also, tnks for helping me out in my process of writing.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

** Chapter 5 **

It had been two full weeks of Kuroo trying to convince Kenma to let his friends come over again. So, he did in fact agree to have them over. Under one condition, this time he could stay in his room. But now, with all the shouting coming from all over the house, Kenma remembered why he was so against having guests again.

The worst part was, they had only arrived ten minutes ago, and it wasn't even the whole group yet. But after meeting them, Kenma had to admit, there were actually people with some sort of common sense in that group. Even if he didn't speak a word with them. Something that he wasn't expecting, was hearing the guys in the other room actually ask for him. Usually, people paid no mind to him. And even though he hates being the center of attention, it was nice to know that they might actually have thought of him as a possible member of the group. 

That's when he heard a knock at the door. 

"Hey, Kenma!" Hinata said, as he opened the entryway, and jumped inside the room. "I brought my pass ticket." In his hands, he had but another piece of apple pie. A small laugh escaped Kenma's lips. This boy was surely different, and somehow he could help but feel curious about him. The way he acted and thought, was different from anything Kenma had encountered, it was like a real-life video game obstacle. "So, what game are we playing?"

"I wasn't really expecting company."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll go back to the living room." The orange's boy livelihood immediately died out. Shooking Kenma, who replied without a second thought.

"But I think I can make space for more one." Hinata's face lit up as he dashed into the room, with surprising speed, and sat at the little chair, originally bought for Kuroo. Grabbing two headsets, and handing one over, he sat down at his own chair and started to boot up the game. "We can play Rocket League, Resident evil 6..."

"I have never played Rocket League, what is it like?"

"It's very simple. It's basically football, but we are vehicles instead of players."

"WOW! I wanna try it!"

And so they did. In the beginning, Hinata was horrible, but eventually, he got the hang of the controls, even if he'd still make a silly mistake sometimes. Kenma, on the other hand, played very well. After all, a while ago, he had played this game to the point where he got sick just from hearing someone say its name. He still wasn't very keen on playing, but surprisingly he was actually enjoying himself. Kenma didn't even notice when the clock shifted from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., that is until someone came barging through the door.

"Hey hey! I thought you had bailed on us Hinata, what are you doing?"

"Hey, Bokuto! I was just playing Rocket League with Kenma." 

"Cool! It's that game where you're a car and you have to play soccer right?" 

"Yes! Have you played it? Are you any good?"

"I have no idea, but I bet I'd beat you Chibi-chan." Bokuto said as he entered the room, not waiting for an invitation. Without a thought, Kenma retreated deeper into his seat, he really didn't want his room to start being invaded. And as if noticing, Hinata immediately stood up, blocking the owl-looking one from coming any closer. "Hey, can I join you guys? Please!" 

"Erm... Kenma?"

He understood why Hinata threw the question at him, it was his room after all, but he still had hoped he wouldn't get involved in it. Looking back at the game, he knew he could make space for even more two players, but he didn't really want to. And just as he was about to decline Bokuto, when someone appeared from the corridor.

"Bokuto. There you are, I've been looking for you." Akaashi came into the room, and grabbed him from the arm, pushing him away from the screen. "Kuroo said for us not to come here, remember? You're making Kenma uncomfortable."

"No, I'm not! We were just about to start a game! The three of us!"

"Oh, really?"

"Actually," Hinata started, probably noticing Kenmas' earlier intent of riding the room of people. "We were just closing the game, Kenma said he was feeling a bit ill and wanted to sleep."

"Awnnnn."

"You see Bokuto. C'mon, Kuroo just brought in a new patch of Yakiniku." Holding Bokuto by the back, they left the room, Akaashi looking back once with an apologetic smile. With that Kenma knew, that guy was someone he could easily get along with.

"Thank you, Hinata."

"Don't mention it. But I should be taking my leave."

"Oh. Why?"

"My sister lives alone with me, and she asked me to come back at 8:30 p.m. This time. Anyways, it was fun playing with you Kenma!" Hinata waved, a playful smile staining his face, and left the room, closing the door behind him. 

Kenma went, almost immediately, back to his computer. As he was alone he could play other games, and that's what he did. But with a certain surprise, it came to him that he missed having someone to play with. None of the games were really grasping his attention. He even thought of playing online but didn't really want to have to open his mic. In the end, Kenma just decided to go back to Rocket League.

And so the hours went by, his mind drifted off as he mindlessly played. Kenma couldn't really understand why the sun-looking boy had come so close to him, and why he not only didn't mind it but welcomed it. Hinata was energetic and loud, and usually, he shied away from people like this. But somehow this guy was different, he didn't bother Kenma, he was actually fun to be around.

"Hey, pudding head!" Kuroo leaned on the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Just passing by to tell you the guys have left."

"Okay, thanks."

"Heard you had a Bokuto incident." His roommate laughed "I told him not to come in here, but I admit, I would have been surprised if he had listened. But lucky you, Akaashi was paying attention. I swear, he is the only one that can get his boyfriend to listen."

"Boyfriend?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you! Akaashi and Bokuto are dating, they have been since the end of high school. I even think Bokuto is planning to propose."

"I have to admit, I'm not surprised. They seemed very close."

"Yeah," Kuroo came in, sitting on Kenma's bed with a wicked grin. "Most importantly, I heard you made a friend."

"No, I haven't."

"Oh c'mon, you guys spent two hours playing games. He even brought you apple pie!"

"He was probably just being sympathetic."

"Kenma's got a friend!"

"I do not."

"Yeah you do."

"I do not."

  
  


"Yeah you do."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"I do not."

"Yeah. You do."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I got some luck, and the school has let me post before two weeks!!! lol
> 
> Anyways I'd just really like to thank the ppl who commented, you guys made my day


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

** Chapter 6 **

_New text message_ _(XX)XXX-XXXXXX 18:34; 19/04_

Hey!!! Kenma!!! What's up??

Who is this?

Oh yeah, you haven't added my number yet. It's Hinata!

Hi, didn't you just leave here?

Yeah, but since you gave me your number I figured I should send a message

So what are you up to?? 

Just trying out this new game.

Coooool! What is the name??

Is it any fun??

Can it be played by two??

Othercide.

Yes.

I don't know.

Omg!! I just noticed I'm sending this while you're playing!!

I'm so sorry, I'll stop interrupting you!!

No.

I don't mind.

What are you doing?

Watching a movie with my sister, 

She says hi

Hi.

Now she's complaining I'm not paying attention.

I think I'll have to go :(

Talk to you later!!

Oh okay, bye.

  
  
  


_New text message_ _Hinata Shoyo 21:30; 28/04_

Heyoooo Kenma!! 

How you been??

Hi.

I’m fine, wbu?

Wbu?

What about you*

Ohhhhhhhh

I’m honestly kind of bored, could I come over????

To my house?

Yes.

Yayyy!!!!!

I’ll be there in five

  
  
  
  
  


Kenma had to admit, he had wanted Hinata to come over for some time now. But for some reason, every time he typed out an invitation, worries would fill his thoughts. His hands would only properly work if to delete whatever he had written. In the end, he just gave up on trying. So when Kenma received the message that Hinata would be coming over, by his own wish and volition, his body filled with a warm fuzzy feeling. It was weird, but he didn’t really mind.

Each second on the clock seemed like an eternity. Maybe the build-up of the boy's arrival only made Kenma more nervous. He barely recognized himself in that state, Kenma had never been this excited about anything, only games, and Kuroo. 

Then a knock came from the main door. The boy had arrived. With hurried steps, he went to open the door. But before he could do so, Kuroo interrupted him on his way.

“Did you order food? Can I have some?”

“It’s not food. I called Hinata over.”

“Wow, my little Kenma is all grown up.”

“Very funny. I’m going to go to the door now.”

“No! Don’t leave me! I am the one who feeds you!”

Abandoning Kuroo to his own dramatic theatrical imagination, Kenma reached for the main door. Hinata was standing there with a huge smile on his face. Maybe the boy overheard their conversation. Although Kenma had to admit. He was quite disappointed to see that this time there was no pie. 

“Hi, Kenma! Long time no see.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since Kuroo invited you and the guys over.”

“True enough. But then again, you could have called me over.”

“Yes, I could have.”

“I was honestly hoping for it." The sun boy laughed, rubbing his hand against his forehead. "In the end, I just couldn't wait, and I invited myself over.” His way of talking was simple and open, he had no intention of hurting Kenma with his words, but for some reason, they stung. “I hope I haven’t caused any trouble coming here out of the blue.”

“No.”

“So what do you want to do? Play a game?? Watch a movie? May-“

“Heyy, Hinata!”

“Hi, Kuroo!”

“So…” Kuroo came over to Kenma’s side, passing an arm around his shoulder, squeezing a little more tight than necessary. “What are we gonna do today?”

“We? Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Kenma answered, with his best attempt of losing the arm around him. 

“Oh C’mon Kenma, don’t be so cold, let me hang out with you guys.”

“Yeah Kenma, let him join in. What's the harm?”

“Okay. But if he starts to be annoying I’m throwing him out.”

“Yes!” Kuroo excitedly cheered, “So how about we watch a movie?”

“A movie?”

"Good idea!" Hinata chimed in. " Maybe something with some action, maybe a bit of Sci-fi. I know, we could watch Lucy!"

"Yes! Let's watch it."

They went on, at half screams, excitedly discussing what snacks they should prepare and what they thought of the actors. It wasn't even close to being one of Kenma's favorites. But seeing them getting so excited, he concluded he would mind having to spend the next hours watching it. So he grabbed the TV control and went on to sit at his favorite spot on the couch. The little corner closest to the door and with the biggest armrest. It didn't take long for the boys to join in, each holding a pot of popcorn, a pack of chips, and some fizzy drink. 

"Go on Kenma, you have the control, put on the film," Kuroo said as he sat beside him. For a brief second Hinata's face seemed disappointed, but it gave away to his usual smile so fast, Kenma even asked himself if he had imagined it. And so the boy sat at the other end of the couch.

The film went on for quite some time, although it was only one hour and a half they had to pause a couple of times. Kenma complained, but Kuroo just brushed it off. After it was done they watched something else. This time he didn't even pay attention to the name, and instead of watching he kept playing games on his phone, Kuroo would have to pay still for his broken PlayStation portable.

By the end of the third round of popcorn and fourth film, Kuroo claimed he was tired and had to wake up early tomorrow for his daily training. And so he went to his room, leaving Kenma and Hinata on their own.

"So, I'm guessing you don't really like films."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well..." The sun boy came closer, sitting criss-cross, facing Kenma with eager eyes. "You didn't seem so excited when I proposed we watched Lucy. And you didn't even pay attention to 2012."

"Yes. Your right, but there are a couple of films I like."

"Really?! Now I'm curious."

"Let me think. I like The Old Guard… Star Wars... Jumanji... and a couple of others. "

"You should have said something! I love Jumanji, we could have watched it."

"Oh, leave it to next time."

Almost immediately, Hinata's face lit up. Moving closer, and unable to contain a huge grin that took over the boy's face, he fidgeted in excitement. Kenma didn't really understand why he had gotten so excited suddenly, and honestly, Hinata's restlessness was starting to make him a bit nervous. 

"By the way, I have been meaning to ask. How did you and Kurro meet?"

"We were neighbors as kids, we didn't have much in common but we ended up hanging out a lot." A small laugh escaped his lips at the memory. "He even got me to play volleyball with him."

"Wait. You play?"

"Yeah, I did, as a setter. I still play with Kuroo sometimes. I hate getting tired so It's the only sport I play."

With a jump, Hinata got off of the couch and shrieked, scaring Kenma enough that he retracted deeper into his sitting spot. The sun boy proceeded to hold his shoulders and look deeply into his cat-like golden eyes, excitement and expectation leaking through him as a broken water damn.

"Set for me!"

"What?"

"Set for me."

"I'm not a really good setter you Sho-"

"Please Kenma, set for me."

And for some reason, beyond Kenma's comprehension, when he looked at those eager brown eyes staring down at him, he couldn't say no.

"Okay. I'll set for you Hinata."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this will be all for today!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :)


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

** Chapter 7 **   
  


They had agreed to meet up in two days' time. Exactly two o'clock, at an old field, which had a small volley court, where Kenma and Kuroo went when the former wanted to practice. It was already three and Hinata was nowhere to be seen. Pacing around, and regretting the decision to not bring his portable video game console or phone, Kenma had nothing to do but stare out into the open or at his wrist watch.

It was strangely calm, and he found himself not minding the whisper of the wind or the solitude of the trees. Kenma's mind, as always, wandered off into imagination, as he lay against one tall tree. With his eyes he could see as clear as daylight various characters battling each other and bosses to get to hidden prices and check points, within his head he was the leader, the king, the one with enough power to send others on quests he did not do himself. In any game, he would usually dislike this position, but under the scalding hot sun it was just perfect. Days past or maybe minutes, all Kenma knew is that a sudden ray of sun had taken on a physical form and was running his way.

"Kenmaaaaaa!" Hinata screamed as he ran, missing only by inches trees and bushes on his way. "I'm so sorry I'm late! My sister made me help her with washing the floors, and it took longer than I expected."

"No problem."

"You sure? I made you wait for like half an hour." It was actually one hour and a half, but Kenma couldn't bring himself to correct him.

"It 's okay. Do you want to start?"

"Yes! Where is the court you talked about?"

"Just behind there." With his finger Kenma pointed to a spot behind the very tree he was laying back on. Calmly getting up, he started to walk up to the small space, Hinata keeping an excited pace beside him. The sun was right behind him, rays passed through his unruly orange hair, creating some sort of halo around him, Kenma couldn't look away. The boy turned to face him, with a confused grin on his face.

"Why did you stop? Is there something on my hair?" He said, patting and brushing his loose strands. With twists and turns to see if anything had fallen off. Kenma felt a weird heatwave brush across his face, hadn't even noticed he had stopped walking. Turning to face the court, and walking a bit faster than what he was before, he answered the boy.

"There was a bug, but it already flew."

"Oh, okay!"

That place wasn't anything special, and the net had more than a few holes on it, but it was good enough to play. Heading to one of the bushes, Kenma took out a worn volleyball, he and Kuroo always left at least one there if they ever forgot to bring their own. Turning it a few times on his hand, he looked at Hinata, who was already in position, a few steps away in eager anticipation.

"You ready?"

The boy nodded in affirmation, as if the simple motion of words would break his concentration. And so, he rolled the ball over to Hinata, who immediately got it and threw it with precision. Kenma had to admit that while the ball came to him he thought, since it was their first time playing together it might take a few tosses for them to get it right. He was most definitely wrong.

It played out as if in slow motion. The moment the ball left his fingers, there was Hinata ready to spike, in a perfectly high jump with a huge grin across his face, ecstasy irradiating out of him. The ball caught his hands perfectly, and made the sound of a thousand dying stars. It had been a while since Kenma had heard such a sound, he couldn't move, all he could do was stare at the sunny boy in front of him, who cheered enough for a whole crowd of fans. The sun now shaped his whole body as it left in the horizon, just as if it were trying to steal this little piece of itself that was being left behind.

"Yessssss! Let 's do it again." Hinata said, already going after the ball and positioning himself. After a second or so, he stared. "Kenma?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, go on." And so they went, Hinata not missing a single ball, no matter how bad or high Kenma's set was. Eventually, after maybe five or six goes, he felt himself getting tired. "Hinata, could we stop? I'm getting hot."

"Oh. I know." Hinata said as he looked at Kenma, with a slight grin. "But okay, let's stop, I had to get going anyway." With those words, disappointment filled him, and destroyed all his plans of playing video games together till their eyes couldn't take it.

"Really? Since you already came late, I was kind of hoping you'd come over."

"Sorry about that, and we can leave it to a next time. Natsu was very specific about me coming home as soon as the sun went down."

"Your sister right? Does she not like you playing volleyball so late?"

"It's not that, she doesn't even know what I'm doing, she's just overprotective."

"I get it, I have one of those at my home two." At that, Hinata laughed out loud, already heading out in the direction of the nearest bus stop, Kenma right in step behind him. The sun boys step was quite fast, mainly considering they had just spent about an hour or more playing. They got to the stop quite quickly, with such a pace, and to Kenma's disappointment, found out they would have take different busses.

"Maybe we should just stuff both of them in one house, and keep the other one for us." Hinata said as he boarded, with a small wave, and what Kenma could swear was a wink. "Let's do this again." He promised as the bus doors closed right behind him.

Kenma held this promise close to him, they would do it again, it felt important somehow. And as much as it joyed him to be around the sun boy, he felt a sudden wave of dread take over his body, much like a warning.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay so I have a confession to make 
> 
> I never revise what I write Lol  
> My chapters are prob full of erros but like I just can’t focus on revising so I just don’t do it 
> 
> Anyways hope you guys are enjoying my little fanfic


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

** Chapter 8 **

Just one look at Kuroo's face as Kenma opened the door to their shared apartment, and he knew he would never stop hearing about this little endeavor. After all, his roommate had always insisted for him to leave the house, to do something, and as unpredictable as possible he had always just ignored his wishes. But this time he had not only left the house but done so without anyone asking. In Kuroo's eyes, that's one hell of an achievement.

"Look who just got home!" The scream ran through his ears, surprisingly not making him deaf. "I was so worried when you said you were going out, I had thought you were someone else." Kuroo monologued, running an arm through Kenma's shoulders, and dramatically waving his free hand before rubbing it against his head, making a mess out of his ombre hair.

"Will you ever get tired of exaggerating?" Kenma asked, as he freed himself and headed to the living room, Kuroo one step behind him, already pouting.

"No, it's too fun. I ordered some pizza, it'll be here anytime soon." His roommate threw himself on the largest part of the couch and grabbed the various controls for the TV. Without much space left, Kenma grabbed a few cushions and sat on the ground, waiting to see what horrible watching choice his friend was going to make.

"Good. I'm hungry." Silence followed, which surprised Kenma. How long had it been since this house had known such silence? But after some time he got worried, and as he looked to his back, he saw his roommate completely frozen with an exasperated look on his face.

"Your not Kenma! I was right! An impostor stands before me! What have you done with him you monster?!"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny"

"But seriously, I'm shocked to hear you say those words. I think it's the first time I've heard you say them actually. Wh-"

The doorbell rang, interrupting whatever was going to be said, to announce the pizza had arrived. Without missing a beat Kuroo stood up and headed to the door, leaving Kenma by himself. He wasn't going to miss this golden opportunity and immediately stole the remotes from where they rest on the couch.

With quick fingers, Kenma closed the indented watch plan for the night "Like Father", how Kuroo enjoyed it was beyond his comprehension. And without thinking twice, he opened up Jumanji, the 90's one, obviously. Tonight he was going to choose what they were going to see, and he would not budge. And when his roommate came in, holding two pizza boxes in his hands, his mouth opened to complain, to which Kenma responded with a glare, quickly shutting any discussion down. Both boxes were positioned at the center table, and the film was put to play.

"So tell me, what made you leave the house?" Kuroo asked, trying to make conversation. Although it was one of Kenma's favorite movies, he didn't mind talking as he watched it. They always held conversations when seeing movies and series, neither of them could ever fully concentrate.

"Me and Hinata had agreed to meet up." From the back of his head, Kenma felt Kuroo flinch, although he didn't quite understand why.

"Wow! So not only did you actually manage to befriend someone, but he also managed to get you out of the house! Next time I see Hinata I think I'll have to give him a gold medal and ask for some tips. So what did you guys do?"

"Oh, nothing much. I took him to that court we always go to, and I set for him a few times, which by the way I was shocked. Why have you never told me how good Hinata is at spiking? You talk about the other guys all the time."

"Kenma." Kuroo's voice reverberated through the room, Kenma hadn't even noticed the film was paused. And as he looked back, he noticed his roommate wasn't laying anymore, rather sitting perfectly still, staring at him.

"What." He answered with a wary voice, making his best effort for it not to crack.

"You and Hinata meet up?"

"Yes."

"To play volleyball?"

"Yes."

"Shit Kenma."

"What? What's the problem?"

"I guess he didn't tell you." Kuroo said, with an exasperated laugh, rubbing his forehead as if to get rid of a headache. Kenma immediately retracted, his roommate wasn't joking around, worry fogged up his head.

"Didn't tell me what?"

With a deep sigh, his roommate grabbed a piece of pizza and ate it in excruciating silence, not once looking Kenma in the eyes. As soon as he was done he sighed again, adjusting his sitting position to be perfectly facing Kenma.

"It was Hinata's first game as a third-year..."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters that end in some sort of cliffhanger are just so fun!  
> Like, as a reader, I kinda hate the agony of not knowing, but like writing it is sooooo satisfying  
> Although I'm not sure this could count as a cliffhanger...
> 
> Anyways I'm officially throwing my original posting schedule in the trash. It's easier to just go with the flow of what I write and when I feel like posting.  
> *Toss*  
> *Miss*  
> *Pretends I didn't miss*
> 
> Erm... Thank you so much for the Kudos!


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

** Chapter 9 **

###  _Kuroo's narration of events_

It was Hinata's first game as a third year. A friendly match, a training match, against some school Kuroo couldn't even remember. They were all excited. Said school was recently gaining popularity as a powerful team. The guys had gone to watch, not because they necessarily wanted to, but because the group had agreed to go out after the game. At that time their group was bigger, nearly anyone who had played volleyball was a part of it, and such, it became quite a crowd.

Karasuno had its usual excitement, ready to go full-on no matter who they played against. But for some reason, Hinata was especially restless. Maybe the fact this would be his last year got to his head or the fact that the other team had two players shorter than him. Nobody paid much mind to it, the boy was always over-excited about something.

And so the game began as usual. Both teams scoring points, sometimes one in the lead, sometimes the other, both with their own special moves and surprise attacks. Nothing out of the usual. The first set finished with Karasuno's victory, at 28-26.

The second set was more aggressive. Players serving and spiking harder, attacks coming at a faster pace, and defenses with more power. From the crowd, they felt as if they were watching an official match. Hinata specifically, was on fire, only losing points in one out of four spikes. And such, Kageyama was tossing the ball to him, a lot. 

No one saw it coming. And it went by too fast for anyone to register what had gone wrong.

Within the window of seconds, Hinata crossed the court in his usual fast run and jumped to spike. As soon as he hit the ground from his jump, he fell completely. No one moved. No one emitted one sound. Then everyone was shouting, going in the direction of the seemingly unconscious boy.

Hinata's right leg was in an awkward shape, and his knee was quickly swelling. Akaashi, within the crowd, called for emergency. As they waited for an ambulance to arrive, Hinata kept waking and blacking out, always complaining about pain in his few conscious moments. It took about 9 minutes for help to arrive, but it felt much longer.

A few of the guys had their cars there. And since they couldn't go with Hinata on the ambulance, they divided everyone who had any sort of relationship with the boy within those cars and headed straight to the hospital. He was immediately taken into surgery. The corridors were filled. And they were all restless to understand what was happening, and if he was going to be okay.

It was only after he was taken out of surgery, that they received any news. The doctor, a tall slender man, who had performed said surgery, explained to them what had happened. 

Hinata's quick change of directions, plus the awkward landing of his jump, had caused him to tear his ACL, a ligament in his knee. It was a somewhat common injury in volleyball, although weird for such a young age. He would heal. But it would take rest and an intense recovery, that could take up months if not years. And, although in his lucidness, Hinata requested surgery to restore the ligament, it was not a complete assurance he would not develop Arthritis, and possibly lose some part of his motion on the knee.

To no one's surprise, Hinata didn't take that last part so well and frequently sabotaged his own recovery. Resulting in the exact thing he had become so annoyed by, a restricted knee, never fully back to its original state. And as a protective measure, his family prohibited him to ever play again. Until this day, his mobility is still very restricted, even if much less than what it was before.

It bec...

  
  
  


Kenma listened to Kuroo, not moving a single muscle as the story unfolded. At some point he only saw his roommate's mouth move, no sound was registered within his head. Instead, images of the past day crashed through. Little moments he didn't notice at first, moments when Hinata would wince after a jump, or massage his legs. Then, as fast as the memories came in, they went away, leaving his head blank. Maybe it was the surprise. Maybe it was shock.

Or maybe it was the message he had just received, of Hinata calling him over to his house tomorrow.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, what's that?  
> The sound of chapter 1 making sense??  
> Thought so
> 
> Dude, I don't know why but I love making these chapter endnotes.


End file.
